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School Planning.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 June 2004

Wednesday, 30 June 2004

Questions (77)

Ciarán Cuffe

Question:

133 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Education and Science if discussions have taken place or are planned with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government regarding the need for school land to be set aside, at no cost to the State, in future planning schemes, in view of the shortage of school places in many fast-growing towns and cities. [19588/04]

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Written answers

The process of assessing the need for new or additional educational facilities at primary or post-primary level in any given area entails consideration of all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, housing developments and the capacity of existing schools to meet the demand for places. As part of this process, the school planning section of my Department receives draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans from local authorities. These plans are monitored and, where necessary, meetings with local authorities are arranged to establish the location, scale and pace of major housing developments and their possible implications for school provision. Where appropriate, the local authority may be requested to reserve a site for educational purposes. In this way, every effort is made to ensure that there is adequate existing provision or that timely arrangements are made to extend capacity where necessary.

The school planning section works closely with local authorities throughout the country and especially in the Dublin region in monitoring demographic changes and assessing the likely impact of planned new developments. In Dublin, a specific forum, the Dublin school planning committee, chaired by the school planning section, interacts with the Dublin local authorities. This forum comprises representatives of the local authorities in Dublin together with representatives of the patron bodies of primary schools and meets three times a year. This process of ongoing dialogue with the local authorities obviates the need for direct discussions with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The high cost of sites for schools, especially in rapidly developing areas of major cities, is a cause of major concern to me. I advocate the acquisition of school sites at no cost to the State but I realise that this a complex area. Ultimately, the acquisition of school sites at a reasonable and proportionate cost is a key objective of my Department.

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